Some virtual reality (VR) programs use one or more physical controllers that the user can manipulate to control aspects of the VR program. Different functions can be assigned to the controllers, so that the user can perform different tasks using the left and right hands, respectively. However, a user may wish to use the opposite hands than what the system has assigned. Making this change can require the user to navigate through a settings menu of the VR program which can be cumbersome, especially if the user must interact with the program using the “wrong” hand until the setting can be changed. Some systems use controllers that are physically identical and can allocate them upon system start-up, regardless of the user's preference. Other systems have physically different controllers for the left and right hands, making it difficult or impossible for a user to reallocate by switching the physical controllers.